by Chris Hoffman

In the past, shoreline development in Washington tended to be piecemeal and uncoordinated, which often had negative impacts on shoreline areas.

To improve and protect state shorelines, the Washington Legislature passed the state Shoreline Management Act in 1971. The act required all jurisdictions with shorelines to develop Shoreline Master Programs and to update those programs every six years. The SMP is a comprehensive shoreline land-use plan that includes policies and regulations for the use and development of the shoreline. It applies to all future development on land within two-hundred feet of the ordinary high water mark.

The SMP goals are to protect shoreline processes, promote public access, and accommodate all appropriate shoreline uses, as well as balances public and private interests. While the shoreline planning boundary of two-hundred feet is well-defined, jurisdictions have the flexibility to develop policies and regulations that recognize diverse shoreline types and values, and that balance property rights and shoreline protection.

San Juan County is currently updating its SMP, and for the past six months has been preparing an inventory and analysis report to document the current conditions of the county’s shorelines. The county is now beginning to consider what, if any, new regulations and policies need to be developed to achieve SMP goals and to ensure the appropriate balance of property rights, public access, and shoreline protection is achieved. To realize these goals and to find the right balance it is necessary for the community to develop a future vision for what most agree are the county’s most valuable asset – its more than 400 miles of shorelines.

The county will be holding a series of four visioning summits this month:

Sept. 20: San Juan Island at the Grange, 152 First Street, Friday Harbor, 1-4 p.m.  for outer island residents, 5 to 8 p.m. for San Juan island residents.

Sept. 21: Orcas Island at Orcas Center’s Madrona Room, 917 Mount Baker Road from 5 to 8 p.m.

Sept. 22: Lopez Island at Lopez Center for the Community and Arts, 204 Village Road, 5 to 8 p.m.

The goal of the shoreline visioning summits is to develop a clear and widely supported statement of what the future should be. Visioning is an important step because any new regulation or policies that are developed need to be connected to the vision; the vision is what you want and the regulations and policies are how you achieve the vision. The September summits will provide residents the opportunity to work with each other to determine the big picture – what’s important to maintain and change regarding shoreline uses, access, and protection. Visuals, small group discussions, and interactive polling will all be used to help develop the vision.

Because a picture is often worth a thousand words, the county is asking residents to begin the visioning process by sending pictures of what they think the county’s shorelines should look like. Those sending pictures are encouraged to describe the characteristics of the pictures that appeal to them; on the flip side, residents can also send pictures that don’t represent the future they want to see.

Photgraphs, questions or comments can be sent to Colin Maycock at colinm@sanjuanco.com.

More information about the SMP update can be found on the County’s web site at: www.sanjuanco.com/smp/default.aspx

Chris Hoffman is working as a public outreach consultant for San Juan County.